Compromise
by Kitten Kisses
Summary: FE7. Sain and Florina, told in 50 sentences. Giftfic. Done for the 1sentence community on LiveJournal.


**Compromise  
By: Manna**

* * *

**1Sentence Drabble Challenge!  
Theme Set: **_**Beta**_**  
Starring: Sain and Florina  
Warnings: The themes are **_**not**_** in order; I used them and made an order of my own.**

* * *

**Dedication: To _KitSilver_, who also likes the dynamics behind this hard-to-write pairing!**

* * *

**_…xOx…_**

001: Near  
He was far, far too close to her, and she couldn't help but yell at him to back off; hurriedly, he did as asked, but if it was thanks to her tears or because of the glare Lyndis was sending his way, he would never say.

002: Balloon  
She looked so cute, he noted, when she puffed her cheeks up and scolded her poor pegasus for getting into mischief.

003: Walking  
When they were safe in Caelin after Lundgren's defeat, he liked to walk around town to clear his head, though he couldn't help but wish that a particular pegasus knight would have come with him; after all, he thought, if anybody could show her a good time, he could!

004: Wishes  
She countered his comment about how if wishes were horses, they would all ride, with, "If wishes were pegasi, we would all _fly_," and he smiled, thinking to himself that the blush of her face at her boldness was really quite endearing.

005: Wonder  
As she flew overhead on her way to seek aid from Lord Eliwood, he couldn't help but be fascinated at her strength; why, she was much less timid now, and so brave, but he knew she was still herself, still Florina, the sweet, shy pegasus knight from Ilia.

006: Jousting  
It was not quite like jousting—more like sparring, she thought—but she enjoyed watching Sain lift his lance against Kent in a friendly contest of strength; she would try to guess who would win, and for some reason, she felt her heart flutter happily when the sandy-haired knight bested his auburn-haired companion.

007: Balcony  
Florina leaned over the edge of the battlements in the old fortress, watching the sun set, imagining it to be a beautiful terrace in a mansion; she did not notice his eyes on her, but if she had turned around, she would see him leaning against a wall nearby, his muscles relaxed and a small smile on his face.

008: Jump  
"S-Sir Sain!" she squeaked, nearly leaping out of her own skin at the sudden feeling of his hand on her shoulder; it wasn't that she minded his presence or his touch—because she certainly did not, she was much braver these days—but she had not known he was behind her!

009: War  
She was afraid of war, she admitted to him one night as she brushed Huey, lowering her face to rest against her pegasus's soft white fur; it wasn't that she was afraid of dying— no, it was definitely not that—she was afraid of seeing the people she cared about die.

010: Belief  
Sain smiled at her reassuringly and held out a carrot for Huey, hoping the proud animal would take it as he settled his hand gently on her back, saying, "Every single one of us fears that; it's why we fight together."

011: Quirks  
Florina had an odd habit that made him smile; as she lost herself in her thoughts over her food, she would leave her fork or spoon poking out of her mouth, and he found it to be one of the cutest things he'd ever seen.

012: Quarrel  
She was strong and brave, she argued to him, her voice submissive though her determination leaked through; archers or not, she refused to stay behind and fight without him—even if she could not impress him with her looks or her speech, surely she could prove herself a worthy partner in battle!

013: Worry  
He couldn't help but be afraid for Florina as she flew overhead—there were archers everywhere taking aim at her, he knew they were there—but when she dove for one, and then another, and yet another, taking them all out before they could even react to her close proximity, he knew his worries were for naught!

014: Bane  
"If you don't take good care of her," Lyndis said to him, sending him a half-hearted glare that he knew she did not mean, "I'll surely be the bane of your existence."

015: Stupidity  
Florina balled her hand into a fist and squeezed until her knuckles turned white; why, oh, _why_ did she have to always make herself look like such an idiot in front of him when she meant to catch his attention in a good way?

016: Breathing  
He took in a shuddering breath, trying to ignore the intense heat as he sought her out; there she was, panting for breath only a few yards away, clearly not used to the climate of the desert, either.

017: Share  
"B-But I can't," she told Sain, on the verge of tears as he handed her his nearly-empty water canteen, "i-it's yours, I wouldn't feel right t-taking this from you."

018: Serenade  
"I'm sure we'll find the others soon," he assured her as they walked in the scorching sun; he tried to alleviate the fear and tension in the air by singing, softly at first and then loudly, but his voice failed him after only half an hour, and he found his throat so dry and parched that he could not even speak.

019: Bias  
When they finally found their army, Kent and Lyndis had immediately scolded Sain for not having brought more water with him—or for not doing better to ration the water that he had, and perhaps she was a bit biased, but she didn't think he'd done a thing wrong; they were hot and tired and thirsty, but at least they were alive, and to her, that was all that mattered.

020: Sojourn  
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and fell onto the beautiful bed in one of the extra rooms in Castle Pherae, wishing they could stay longer, though she admitted to herself that she missed his cheerful voice already; she had not seem him since they had arrived, but the image of his face rose unbidden in her mind, and she smiled.

021: Wasteland  
Whenever they happened upon a village that had been destroyed and plundered by bandits, Lyn would become vengeful, Kent upset, Wil sad, Sain angry, and she, she would hide behind Sain and try not to look because she felt everything all of them felt; she didn't think she could bear to see what remained.

022: Quiet  
She saw him go down without a sound from where she hovered in the air, and she kicked Huey into a dive, ignoring the arrows that flew past her to fall harmlessly to the ground; her lance rammed into the enemy horseman before he could strike the killing blow, but her heart still fell in her chest when Sain fell from his horse bonelessly.

023: Whiskey and Rum  
Lyndis wrapped her arms around her friend and squeezed as hard as she could, flinching noticeably as she heard his scream on the other side of the camp and felt Florina shiver against her; his wound had to be cleaned out, Serra told them, but even the alcohol would not dull the pain much.

024: Blessing  
"It is a blessing you arrived to aid him when you did," Kent whispered hoarsely after he came out of the healer's tent, his sleeves rolled up as far as they could go, his face ashen; clearly, he was shaken from holding Sain down, and Florina would not have traded places with him for anything.

025: Soliloquy  
She held his limp hand in her own as if he was the one that needed comforted and not her, and she whispered as her eyes filled with tears, unaware that he could hear her, "I-I almost…almost lost you."

026: Nowhere  
"Y-You're not going anywhere!" Florina told him as he tried to sit up, shock and worry on her face as she pressed down gently on his chest to keep him in bed.

027: Nuance  
"Hello, sweet Florina," Sain insisted as he held her hand to his cheek a few days later, "I'm feeling much better- can't you tell my color is returning to my face?"

028: Sarcasm  
"I did not think you knew how to fall for only one woman," Kent told him, his voice serious, though the small, almost unnoticeable smile on his face told Sain that he was not really insulting him.

029: Sordid  
"H-he isn't like that at all, really!" Florina tried to tell her sisters when they told her what they'd heard about Sain.

030: Just  
"S-Sir Sain is a…good man," she finally managed to tell both Farina and Fiora, blushing madly.

031: Smirk  
Farina grinned deviously and patted Fiora on the back when their youngest sister disappeared around a tent, "Why, I do believe our little sister has grown up and isn't quite as timid as she once was—now, when is it your turn?"

032: Whimsy  
She'd had this dream of marrying the perfect man, one that would always love her and take care of her and respect her; Sain had really not been the man she had imagined for all these years, but she was too far-gone to care.

033: Birthday  
It was Lady Lyndis's birthday, and Florina and Sain snuck into her tent when she left it for a moment, hiding in a dark corner, pushed up against each other startlingly close, but before they could even blush in embarrassment at their arrangement, Lyn walked back in; she laughed when they stood up yelling, "Happy Birthday!" only to fall over, their limbs tangled together.

034: Horizon  
"She looks beautiful like that, doesn't she?" Sain asked Wil as they saw Florina stretched out in the grass watching the setting sun; Wil agreed, and only a moment later noticed the almost dreamy expression on his comrade's face.

035: Neutral  
"If that man hurts my sister, I swear I'll wring his neck!" Farina told Hector as she stared at the back of Sain's head; Hector did not respond, choosing to simply stay out of it—it really was best for his health, he thought.

036: Valiant  
Sain held Florina as Lyndis paced outside of the healer's tent, accepting comfort from no one as she struggled to hold her tears back; Kent had been struck an almost devastating blow protecting his lady, and Lyn was taking it hard; it hurt both Florina and Sain, too, because they both considered him a dear friend.

037: Defeat  
Almost a week later, Kent awoke, and to everyone's surprise, Florina mustered up enough courage to hug him before running back to Sain's side; the dishwater-blond knight wiped away her tears and smiled at his boon companion, happy to have him back with them, again.

038: Virtuous  
"That Kent is just too moral and too afraid to tell Lady Lyndis how he feels," Sain told her as they relaxed under an oak tree, and he stared at Florina when she gasped and said that Lyndis did not want to say anything because she was afraid it might make things awkward for her knight; suddenly, they both grinned and laughed, she with her soft giggles and he with his louder, more audible chuckles.

039: Natural  
She fell asleep against him, using his arm for a pillow, and he brushed her bangs out of her face and smiled gently, adjusting her so that he was holding her more comfortably; she was, he thought, what he had been searching for his entire life.

040: Weddings  
"Marriage is all about meeting in the middle, because it takes two truly strong people to do that," Fiora told her as she sharpened the tip of her lance, and Florina realized how much she and Sain had compromised in order to be comfortable around one another; he had ceased flirting nonstop, and she had taken down her barriers that had kept her from fully trust any man.

041: Jester  
He liked to tease Kent and flirt harmlessly with women and tell jokes to everyone, but when it came to her, he would gladly abandon all of that for some quiet time alone in her company; he loved making her laugh, though, and would try to coax one out of her at every opportunity.

042: Sorrow  
She hugged her knees to her chest and stared out at the dark forests, shivering at the feeling of unease the Dread Isle gave off; Sain watched her and silently vowed to protect her with his life, if need be, in the upcoming battle that would hopefully be their last.

043: Breaking  
"No, Lyn, Lyn!" she shouted as she saw the dragon's tail knock her friend to the side effortlessly, and she turned and buried her face into Sain's chest as Lyndis slid to the floor lying completely still; she was afraid to look, but Sain gently pulled her away and helped her onto his horse, assuring her that they needed to help Kent get Lady Lyndis out of there.

044: Victory  
Hector had, in a terrible rage after Lyndis had fallen, taken the dragon out mostly by himself, and Florina was happy that it was all over, but her friend's face was so pale that it made her chest ache; she sat in Sain's lap on the floor of the healer's tent, unable to leave Lyn's side for even a moment.

045: Solitary  
"You should go," Lyn told her, smiling weakly in an attempt to encourage the lavender-haired pegasus knight to attend the dance that Pherae was having in celebration of their marquess's return; the lady of Caelin's words caused Kent to stir from where he sat in a chair next to her bed, his head resting on her mattress as he dozed, and Florina was reminded of Sain, and that perhaps she would see him there.

046: Waltz  
"What's a beautiful woman like you doing standing over here alone instead of dancing with me?" Sain asked teasingly, running his hand through her hair fondly; she tried to tell him that she could not dance, but he insisted that she could, and in fact, he would teach her.

047: Question  
After dancing—or trying to— nonstop for nearly an hour, they were both laughing, and breathless; suddenly, out of the blue, he took her hands and leaned close to her, pressing his lips against her cheek before he whispered in her ear, "I would be the happiest man alive if you would marry me, Florina."

048: Jewel  
"Y-yes, of, of course I will!" she told him; she had never seen him as embarrassed as he was when he looked down at the marble floor, his face flushed red as he stuttered something about not really having the money for a ring befitting her, but he flushed even more when she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him once before pulling away a little, blushing prettily as she told him it didn't matter to her.

049: Burning  
The feeling of his lips against hers was red-hot, though far from unpleasant; she found herself soaking it up, enjoying every moment of it, wanting and craving _more_.

050: Quitting  
"Where do you want to go?" Sain asked her as they rode out of Caelin, and Florina smiled at him waving to Lyndis and Kent until she could see them no longer; when she turned back to her new husband—it was still almost strange saying it, she thought—she only looked at the sky wistfully and told him that they could go anywhere—after all, she teased, together they were stronger.

* * *

_**…xOx…**_

**Author Notes:**

Well, another pairing I've never written before. I tried to write Florina more as I see her, but I might have gone and made her seem a little out of character in places, I'm afraid. She is shy, but when Eliwood's Story starts, she's much braver, and I think she would be even more so around someone like Sain, that she's known over a year (and I'm sure they spoke rather regularly in Caelin during that year). The title is from the "Weddings" prompt (compromising), which is also supposed to subtly tie in with the very last prompt (that is why they are stronger together).

Anyway, this was, despite all that, fun to write, though very time-consuming, too. A few hours of organizing sentences and such…ugh. Anyway, let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading!


End file.
